


The Secret Ingredient

by realityisoverrated



Series: Infinite Love [65]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Polyfidelity, Smoaking billionaires, Toliver, flommy, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-01 08:33:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8616955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realityisoverrated/pseuds/realityisoverrated
Summary: Felicity learns one of Tommy's closely held secrets on a lazy, rainy Sunday at home.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> This is an unscheduled installment. The general mood around the fandom seems down. I thought I'd do my best to cheer everyone up with Tommy and Oliver being slightly ridiculous and some smut. 
> 
> Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for this series. All of your kudos, comments, thoughts and questions about this universe help keep my enthusiasm for writing this series high. 
> 
> I'm not telling this series in chronological order. Some readers have requested that I provide a chronological order for the fics in the series. There is no need to read them in chronological order, but in case you'd like to, the list is below.  
> 1\. Beautiful Stranger (Part 28)  
> 2\. The Hack of the Golden Dragon (Part 36)  
> 3\. Girl Wednesday (Part 41)  
> 4\. This Time Last Year (Part 44)  
> 5\. The First Time (Part 1)  
> 6\. Aloe and Chamomile (Part 40)  
> 7\. The Italian Restaurant (Part 3)  
> 8\. Ground Rules (Part 43)  
> 9\. Do The Hustle (Part 21)  
> 10\. The Secret Ingredient (Part 65)  
> 11\. Wherever You Are, There I Am (Part 8)  
> 12\. Perfect (Part 16)  
> 13\. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (Part 49)  
> 14\. Practical Jokes and Other Misunderstandings (Part 14)  
> 15\. Cobble Hill (Part 4)  
> 16\. The Sunnybrook (Part 51)  
> 17\. House Warming (Part 15)  
> 18\. 30 (Part 30)  
> 19\. Hong Kong (Part 35)  
> 20\. Twenty Questions Over Brunch (Part 11)  
> 21\. Hildy (Part 5)  
> 22\. Burgers & Lies (Part 9)  
> 23\. You Say You Want A Revolution (Part 22)  
> 24\. Look Me In The Eye And Make Me Feel The Truth (Part 12)  
> 25\. Fight Night (Part 20)  
> 26\. Fear and Loathing (Part 42)  
> 27\. With The Band (Part 53)  
> 28\. The Scarecrow (Part 59)  
> 29\. Into Thin Air (Part 17)  
> 30\. Haunted (Part 58)  
> 31\. It’s Just Like Falling (Part 27)  
> 32\. Will You Still Love Me, Tomorrow? (Part 7)  
> 33\. Life With The Arrow (Part 23)  
> 34\. Up All Night (Part 6)  
> 35\. Welcome Home (Part 10)  
> 36\. Deadshot (Part 62)  
> 37\. Better Than Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes (Part 24)  
> 38\. The Right To Remain Silent (Part 61)  
> 39\. Home Is Where You Are (Part 2)  
> 40\. Somebody Get A Hammer (Part 26)  
> 41\. Tush Push (Part 48)  
> 42\. Three (Part 13)  
> 43\. Life Lived In The Tabloids (Part 18)  
> 44\. Tokyo Calling (Part 25)  
> 45\. Something Blue (Part 39)  
> 46\. Prudence Chastity (Part 19)  
> 47\. Love Is Worth It In The End (Part 33)  
> 48\. The Mini (Part 38)  
> 49\. The Hall of Fame (Part 46)  
> 50\. A Name By Any Other (Part 47)  
> 51\. The Drop Out (Part 32)  
> 52\. Homework (Part 64)  
> 53\. William (Part 29)  
> 54\. Hold On For One More Day (Part 31)  
> 55\. Yours, Mine, Ours (Part 37)  
> 56\. Rules Are Made To Be Broken (Part 55)  
> 57\. Hope Is Believing In The Light When All You See Is Darkness (Part 52)  
> 58\. Open Up And Say Ah (Part 60)  
> 59\. Saturdays With The Green Arrow (Part 34)  
> 60\. I Would Not Trade What Might Have Been For What Is (Part 50)  
> 61\. Brothers (Part 45)  
> 62\. Strawberry Milkshake With A Side Of Why (Part 56)  
> 63\. All About The Jeans (Part 54)  
> 64\. A Bunny For Prue (Part 63)  
> 65\. Boys Who Kiss Boys Who Kiss Girls Who Kiss Boys Who Kiss Boys (Part 57)
> 
> Welcome to any new readers who have stumbled into this universe. The more the merrier.
> 
> Arrow and its characters do not belong to me.

>

Artwork by Lademonessa

 

A soft kiss behind Felicity’s ear was what brought her to full consciousness. She rolled onto her back and stretched. Tommy’s bed was comfortable and warm despite being vacated by both of her boyfriends. The sound of rain had her burrowing back into the blankets. “What time is it?” she mumbled.

“It’s eleven,” Tommy said with a smile in his voice. “Don’t go home. Spend the day with me. I’ll make you French toast.”

Felicity took a deep breath. The scent of vanilla and coffee was like a warm caress coaxing her from sleep. She was torn between pulling Tommy back into bed and going back to sleep and getting up and starting her day. “Did Oliver leave?” Oliver had plans to spend the day with Walter and Thea.

“He was up and out by nine. He’s been sending us texts all morning.” Tommy slowly pulled the blankets down her body until they pooled around her waist, “There’s yumminess waiting if you get out of bed.”

“Fine,” she rolled out of bed and grabbed Oliver’s hoodie from the floor, “but the syrup better be warm.”

Tommy clutched his chest and staggered backwards out of his bedroom, “You wound me with your lack of faith.”

When Felicity appeared in the kitchen five minutes later, Tommy greeted her with a glass of champagne and a kiss. She took a sip, “Booze before coffee may not be my best plan.”

He grinned as he grated nutmeg into the egg mixture he was beating, “I enjoy you a little boozy before brunch.”

“Are those actual vanilla beans?” she asked as she scanned the counter. Tommy’s recipe for French toast was a fiercely guarded secret and hotly debated between the guys. Oliver could never quite recreate the recipe and it frustrated him to no end.

Tommy’s eyes went wide, “You’re not to tell Ollie my secret ingredient.”

“The two of you are the definition of ridiculous,” she rose to her tip toes and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. “Normal people aren’t competitive about brunch recipes.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and stood behind him to rest her head against his back. He was warm and Felicity felt content with him in her arms. She moved with him as he prepared their meal.

“It’s Raisa’s recipe. If he paid the slightest bit of attention, he’d know that it’s fresh vanilla and not extract.”

“This is Raisa’s recipe?” Felicity asked with curiosity. Raisa was a mystery to Felicity. She’d been a huge part of the guys’ upbringing, but she’d never met her. Shortly after Oliver returned from Lian Yu, Raisa’s mother had gotten ill and she’d retired and moved to Arizona. Oliver and Tommy spoke about the woman with a reverence that was reserved for only the most beatific of saints. Of course, having to deal with Oliver and Tommy as children and teenagers probably qualified the woman for sainthood.

“Yes, this was Thea’s favorite. She made it every Sunday for her.” Tommy added toast to the pan, “After Ollie, well, after Ollie, Thea was in a bad place. She’d just show up at the manor in the middle of the night and I’d make her French toast. She’d sit in the kitchen and watch me cook. We’d eat. I’d put her to bed and then drive her home in the morning.”

“She was lucky to have you,” Felicity squeezed him tighter and kissed the spot between his shoulder blades. Tommy hummed noncommittally. She let go and picked up her glass of champagne. “What was she like back then?”

“She was so skinny. I know she’s skinny now, but she was just all legs and arms and big eyes. She was sad and angry. God, could she be mean,” Tommy chuckled as he flipped the toast. “She was like a hissing cobra, ready to lash out at everyone.”

“But not you?” Felicity asked.

He looked up with surprise, “Especially me. She was such a brat. I was dumb. I was worthless. I was unwanted. I was alive and Oliver wasn’t. She wished I’d died instead of him.”

“She didn’t mean it,” Felicity’s heart ached knowing how much pain he was in when he thought Oliver was dead.

Tommy smiled, “I know. I knew then too. She was in pain and had no one to lash out at. Moira had locked herself away in her room, so I was the next best target. She needed me to be her punching bag and I was more than willing to take the hits.”

“It couldn’t have been all bad. She adores you,” Felicity said sincerely.

“That first year was tough, but it wasn’t all bad. We read Harry Potter together. We went to a lot of movies.”

“The French toast,” she said knowing he wouldn’t still make it if his memories of eating it were full of sadness.

He smiled, “French toast too.” His eyes lost focus for a moment and he laughed, “The Miley Cyrus concert.”

Felicity put down her champagne glass just as it reached her lips, “You did not.”

“I took Thea and five of her closest twelve-year-old friends to see Miley Cyrus,” Tommy said with a straight face.

“You at a Miley Cyrus concert is hard enough to believe, but I can’t believe anyone, let alone six sets of parents would let you chaperone twelve-year-old girls.”

“I was a perfectly responsible-ish twenty-two-year-old and I think we’ve established that none of us rich kids had the most attentive of parents. I think their parents would’ve let them go to the concert with Count Vertigo as a chaperone.” He plated their brunch and set them down on the breakfast bar.

“Was it a birthday present?”

Tommy shrugged, “No, she just really loved Hannah Montana. I thought she’d enjoy it – give her a chance to be twelve and carefree.”

Felicity put a napkin across her lap, “I still can’t picture you at a Miley Cyrus concert surrounded by tween girls.”

“I think you’re the only one.” He kissed her nose, “I’ll be right back.”

Tommy returned to the kitchen and Felicity began to choke on her sip of champagne. He rushed to her side and began to pat her back. “Are you okay?” he asked with concern.

She turned on her stool to get a better look at him. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she continued to cough. Tommy was wearing a bright pink t-shirt that read, Meet Miley Cyrus Tour 2007, in blue sparkly puff paint. Miley Cyrus’ toothy grin was beaming from the center of his chest. “Please tell me there are pictures,” she pleaded once she caught her breath.

He furrowed his brow, “I hope not. I think I took all the pictures that night. I bought a t-shirt for the girls when we got to the concert. We all wore them.”

Felicity’s heart melted at the thought of Tommy taking his dead best friend’s little sister and all her friends to a sugary pop concert just to cheer her up. Anyone who believed that Tommy was a selfish and a self-absorbed narcissist really had no idea about what kind of man he really was. “You were a good big brother even when you didn’t know you were a big brother,” she kissed him again. “You contain multitudes, Tommy Merlyn.”

He blushed, “It wasn’t a big deal.”

“I bet Thea would disagree,” she turned back to her French toast. The bread melted on her tongue and she moaned in appreciation.

“I think Thea would deny ever being to a Miley Cyrus concert,” Tommy sat down beside her.

“I think if you ask her, she might tell you it’s one of her favorite memories.”

Tommy’s eyes welled up and he smiled, “I know it’s one of mine.”

Felicity was sorting through Tommy’s DVDs as he cleaned up the kitchen. She was searching for something to watch on their rainy Sunday afternoon together. She took another sip of her champagne as she narrowed her choices. At the sound of his approaching footsteps she held up three DVDs, “I’m kind of feeling Garbo today. How about you?”

Tommy topped off her glass with the last of the champagne as he reviewed her choices. “I haven’t watched, _Ninotchka_ , in a long time.”

Felicity wrinkled her nose as she looked back at her selections, “That’s not one of your choices. You don’t want to watch, _Mata Hari_ or _Camille_?”

“Dance with me,” Tommy said putting down the champagne bottle. “I don’t want to watch love stories with heroines dying tragic deaths.”

She looked up from the movies she’d spread around her. Tommy was waggling his fingers at her. She put her champagne glass down and took his offered hand. He pulled her to her feet and straight into his arms. The apartment was silent except for the sound of the rain falling against the windows, but it didn’t stop Tommy from waltzing them around his living room. He was faintly humming something, but Felicity wasn’t sure of the tune. There was a good chance it was something that he was making up just to set the rhythm. She relaxed in his arms and rested her head against his chest as he moved them around the room.

Felicity first realized that she was in love with Tommy on an afternoon much like the one they were having. They’d been dancing and she’d very much wanted to kiss him, but she’d been afraid to. Oliver had been missing, Laurel had only been dead for a few months and Felicity had been confused about her feelings.

She looked up to find Tommy grinning down at her. There was nothing keeping her from kissing him now. She tilted her chin and puckered her lips. A light rumble of laughter sounded through Tommy’s chest but he obliged her with a kiss. When he pulled back, she wrapped her arms around his neck and chased his lips. Once she licked into his mouth, Tommy stopped dancing and held her tightly against him. She moaned as one of his hands cupped her bottom. Felicity laced her fingers with his and started walking towards his bedroom, but only made it three steps before she realized he wasn’t following.

Tommy was rooted to his spot. His arousal was evident but he also looked worried. Felicity returned to his side and placed a hand on his chest, “What’s wrong?”

His brow crinkled and he cleared his throat, “Ollie’s not here.”

“I know,” she said teasingly, “I’ve been here all day.”

Tommy looked into her eyes and smiled sadly. “I mean Ollie won’t be in there,” he nodded towards his bedroom.

“Oh,” Felicity let go of Tommy’s hand and took a few steps away from him. Felicity and Tommy had never had sex without Oliver present. She hadn’t had sex with either of them alone. “Do you not want to have sex with me? I thought you did.”

Tommy laughed nervously, “God, yes. I want to have sex with you.”

“I don’t understand what the problem is,” she cautiously stepped towards him. “You want to have sex. I want to have sex.”

“We’d be testing that rule for the first time,” Tommy folded his arms across his chest.

“Ah,” Felicity suddenly understood, “the rule you never seemed one hundred percent behind.”

“Oliver is in love with you,” Tommy stated like it should clarify everything.

“I’m in love with him too,” Felicity pulled on his arms until he dropped them to his sides. “I’m in love with you too.”

Tommy closed his eyes and tears formed on the end of his lashes, “Yeah.”

“Babe,” she pleaded, “what’s going on?”

“He’s not in love with me,” Tommy whispered, “and you are more in love with him than me. I’m afraid if you and I have sex without Ollie, he’ll realize that this arrangement isn’t working and I’ll lose both of you.”

Her first reaction was one of anger. Tommy was basically telling her that he didn’t trust her love for him. She wanted to remind him that there was only one person in their relationship who hadn’t said that he was in love and that was Tommy. She’d been patient and understanding. She knew those words didn’t come easy to him and they’d been used as a weapon against him in his past. She was about to challenge him about why he’d never told her that he loved her when the look of vulnerability on his face took all the wind from her sails. She knew better than most the pain of being left behind. Tommy had never been anyone’s first choice and he expected to be hurt by those he loved. “Tommy, I love you. I want to make love to you. At some point, we’re going to need to test the rule. It might as well be now with you and me. If Oliver is jealous or has concerns, we’ll address them, together.” Felicity ducked her head to catch Tommy’s eyes, “Don’t ever say that I love Oliver more than you and if you don’t think Oliver is in love with you, you really need to think again. Don’t you see the way he looks at you?”

“I see the way he looks at you,” Tommy tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I recognize the look because it’s how I feel about you. I love you, Felicity.”

“Yeah?” she asked, her heart bursting with happiness. She’d known from the moment they first kissed that he was in love with her, but to hear the words from his lips made her happier than she thought possible.

“I love you,” he grinned.

She greedily captured his lips.

Any hesitancy or reluctance seemed to leave Tommy with his declaration of love. He swept Felicity into his arms and carried her to his bedroom. He lowered her to his rumpled bed and laid beside her. He tenderly removed her glasses and placed them on his nightstand. The sense of urgency disappeared as he gentled his kisses and became more loving with his touch. He lifted his head and smiled as he traced her face with his finger. “You’re so beautiful,” he said with awe. “I don’t know what I did to deserve to be so lucky.”

She brought his hand to her lips and kissed his palm, “We’re both lucky.” He rolled onto his back, bringing her with him. Felicity braced her hands on either side of him and prepared to swing her legs over his hips when she caught sight of his t-shirt and began to giggle. The crease between his brow only caused her to laugh harder.

“I’ve got to say, this wasn’t the reaction I was looking for,” he said with a pout.

She pushed his t-shirt up, “Take this off. I can’t think sexy thoughts with Miley smiling at me.”

Tommy sat up and pulled the t-shirt off, “I knew this shirt would eventually succeed in making a woman beg me to take my clothes off.”

Felicity took the t-shirt from his hands and threw it across the room, “You’re an evil genius.” She placed her hand on the center of his chest and gently lowered him to the bed. She pulled off Oliver’s hoodie and then lifted her tank top over her head. She leaned across Tommy to grab a condom from the drawer. He captured one of her nipples between his lips and began to flick it with his tongue. She cradled his head closer with one hand as she rummaged blindly through the drawer until she retrieved a foil packet and placed it next to his head.

Tommy rolled them so he was cradled between her legs and had better access to her breasts. He turned his attention to her neglected nipple. Felicity tilted her hips to line up Tommy’s erection with her center. Her legs tangled with his as he continued to flick her nipple with his tongue. Every stroke of his tongue made her core clench and she could feel herself getting wetter and wetter. Her hands slid between them and she untied the drawstring on his pajama bottoms and pushed them from his hips. Once his erection was free she swiped her thumb across its head and began to pump him slowly.

Tommy raised his head from her breasts and looked at her with unadulterated lust. He lifted himself off her and stood at the foot of the bed. He kicked off his pajama bottoms and then grabbed the cuffs of her yoga pants and pulled them off in one fluid motion. He held his hand out and she placed the condom on his palm. He tore the foil open with his teeth and quickly rolled the condom down his length. He returned to his position between her legs. He brushed his nose against hers, “Are you sure?”

She ran her fingers through his hair as he ran her legs up the back of his thigh, “I’m sure.” She lifted her head and gently bit his bottom lip before sucking it between her lips. Reaching between them, she lined him up and then pulled him inside with her heels.

Tommy took control of their kiss as he slowly thrust inside of her. Every time he bottomed out, he rotated his hips and ground against her clit. Each time he swirled his hips, Felicity’s internal muscles clenched around him and her mouth opened in a silent, “Oh.” He laced their hands together and pressed them into the mattress beside her head.

He broke their kiss and raised his head to watch her. He smiled every time her mouth opened in a silent cry of pleasure. “I love you,” he said with a smile that made her feel giddy.

“I love you,” she said as she lifted her hips to meet his.

Tommy increased the pace and used his knees to increase the force of his thrusts. Felicity began to moan as her core began to flutter as her pleasure started to coil tighter and tighter. All thoughts left her mind as she chased the feeling Tommy was building inside of her. He released one of her hands and slipped it between them. He placed his thumb on her clit and rubbed. “Look at me,” he gasped and she immediately complied. Her center opened and took him deeper as her pleasure exploded outward and she bucked beneath him. Tommy continued to rub her clit and thrust as she came undone. His arm slipped beneath her bottom and lifted her up as he drove himself deeper inside her wet heat. With one last forceful thrust he pressed tightly against her and found his release.

He gently eased her back onto the bed and dropped his head to her shoulder as they caught their breath. Felicity’s fingers trailed up and down his spine as her core contracted around him. He hissed and then chuckled as her body continued to milk him. Tommy kissed her neck before pulling out. He disappeared inside of the bathroom to dispose of the condom.

When he returned to bed he pulled the blankets back over them. Felicity hummed in appreciation when he nuzzled her neck. “The first part of the test was pretty successful. What do you think?” she asked as she snuggled against his chest.

Tommy twisted her hair around his finger, “Being with you is always easy.”

Felicity lifted her head and gently pinched his side, “Easy?”

“Ow,” he yelped. “Okay, easy wasn’t my best choice of words, but being with you is always,” he chuckled, “easy.” He redirected her head back to his chest, “Having you in my arms feels like home. Like we’ve always belonged together. I don’t have to think – we just are.” He sighed heavily, “That probably makes no sense.”

Felicity knew exactly what Tommy meant. Making love to him just felt right. It felt like she’d spent multiple lifetimes in his arms. It wasn’t that sex wasn’t amazing with Oliver, because it was, but making love to him felt different. Nothing about Oliver was easy – he never made anything easy. It didn’t make her love him any less, but Oliver kept her on her toes. She kissed Tommy’s chest over his heart, “Easy is the right word.”

“This is nice,” Tommy yawned. “I like having you naked in my arms and not having to share or split my focus.”

Felicity agreed. It was nice to not worry about making sure she was giving equal attention. She often felt like she wasn’t fully in the moment because she was thinking about who she should kiss or touch next. Since the guys were still not touching one another below the waist, it felt like all the responsibility to provide them with pleasure fell to her. She didn’t mind being the focus of their sexual energy, but it kept her brain busy when she’d prefer to turn it off and just feel. The more time they spent together, the less anxiety she had about short changing one over the other. She imagined that, with time and the guys eventually taking the next step with one another, her concerns would diminish. The sound of the rain was lulling her to sleep. “Tommy?” she asked as she fought her heavy eyelids.

He held her tighter and hummed.

“Say it again.”

Tommy tilted her chin up so he could look at her, “I love you.”

Felicity smiled and put her head back down on his chest. She’d never grow tired of hearing those words from him. The rain and Tommy’s heartbeat became the lullaby that sent her off to sleep.

A nuzzle to the back of her neck and icy fingers on her hip woke her from her sleep. “Oliver,” she complained sleepily, “your hands are freezing.”

Oliver removed his hands from beneath the blankets. “Have the two of you even gotten out of this bed since I left this morning?”

Oliver didn’t appear to be at all concerned to find his boyfriend and girlfriend naked in bed together without him. “Tommy lured me out of bed with French toast,” she turned in Tommy’s arms to face Oliver. Tommy’s arms pulled her back against his chest. She smiled at Oliver, “I might’ve lured him back to bed with kisses.”

Oliver smiled and ran his cold fingers through her hair, “I missed you. Both of you.”

“Did you have a good time with Walter and Thea?” Felicity asked. A look of sadness flickered behind Oliver’s eyes before it disappeared. She rose onto her elbow, “What’s wrong?”

At her sudden movement, Tommy roused himself and leaned on his elbow to look over her shoulder, “Did something happen?”

Oliver flopped onto his back with his arms over his head, “Walter is moving to London full time.”

Tommy sat up, “Is Thea all right?”

Oliver shrugged his shoulders, “She says she can’t wait to visit so she can go shopping on Oxford Street, but I know she’s going to miss having him in town. I’ll miss having him in town.”

Tommy groaned and reached for his phone, “I should call her.”

“She’s with Roy,” Oliver said on a sigh.

Tommy groaned louder and dropped his phone onto the bed. “Comfort sex is the worst,” he muttered.

“Hey,” Oliver complained, sitting up.

“What?” Tommy asked.

“I was kind of hoping for comfort sex,” Oliver said sheepishly.

Felicity put her face into her pillow to stifle her laughter. She squealed and thrashed as both Oliver and Tommy began to tickle her sides. “Uncle,” she gasped.

“Doesn’t look like I’m getting any sympathy from you,” Oliver teased as he brushed the hair from her face.

“Not after that,” she panted.

“How about you, buddy?” Oliver leaned across Felicity towards Tommy. “Any sympathy from you?”

Tommy pulled Oliver closer by the front of his shirt. “Always,” he promised as he claimed Oliver’s lips.

Oliver crawled over Felicity and lowered himself on top of Tommy. She rolled over and watched them make out. She couldn’t help but to reach out and gently caress their hair, faces and bodies as they kissed. Watching them, it seemed insane to her that neither realized how much the other loved him. Oliver moaned into Tommy’s mouth and she wondered how much longer they’d be able to keep the physical barrier they set between them. One of them needed to take the first step or they’d be stuck in their limbo forever.

Oliver brushed his nose against Tommy’s and gave him his dazzling smile. “Buddy,” he said as he brushed their lips together, “I found the vanilla pods in the trash.”

Tommy whined and his arms fell from Oliver’s back and landed on the bed with a thud. “You can’t let me have anything,” he groused good-naturedly as he pushed Oliver towards Felicity. “No more sympathy for you.”

“Don’t be that way,” Oliver wrapped his arms around Tommy’s waist and hauled him closer. “I’ll tell you the secret to my beef bourguignon.”

Tommy eyed him skeptically, “So help me, if you say, it’s love.”

Oliver laughed, “It is love.”

“You suck,” Tommy tried to get up.

“Wait, wait, Tommy” Oliver pulled him back to the bed. “I’m sorry. My secret ingredient is love, but it’s also cumin.”

“Cumin?” Tommy’s eyes narrowed.

Oliver kissed his shoulder, “When I sauté the onions in the bacon drippings, I add about a half teaspoon of cumin.”

Tommy reached for his cell and checked the time, “Come on.” He got out of bed and began to gather his clothes, “We’re going to the grocery store.”

“We are?” Felicity hated going grocery shopping, especially when she was warm and toasty and Oliver was so close to almost getting naked and joining them.

“There’s enough time to make beef bourguignon for dinner tonight,” Tommy pulled on his jeans.

Oliver rolled off the bed, “You’re ridiculous.”

“That might be true, but you’re cooking dinner and I’m watching every single ingredient that goes into the pot – including the cumin.”

“If you’re making me go out in this weather, I’m picking the wine,” Felicity reluctantly got out of their warm bed, “and it’s going to be obscenely expensive.”

“When do you not pick the wine?” Oliver teased.

“I just want to make sure you don’t forget,” Felicity pulled clothing out of her drawer in Tommy’s dresser and carried them to the bathroom. “I’m getting ice cream too.” She closed the door behind her and laughed as she heard the guys return to discussing the culinary virtues of cumin. A knot of worry loosened in her chest as she turned the shower on. If the guys were debating something as mundane as recipes, it appeared that the first test of their rule had been a complete success.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> There will be a Deadshot update on Wednesday.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming. Questions about this universe are also welcome.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/


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